Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
When we entered the bedroom, Keanu locked the doors behind us. The clicking lock, though quiet, seemed to ring in my ears. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at the gold foil on the black-painted doors.
“Come, my bride,” Keanu said, but didn’t wait for me to move. He swept me into his arms and, within a few paces, placed me in front of a large mirror. “We have much to do, but so little time.” At that, he began unlacing my corset.
My cheeks burned as I whipped around, holding out my hands to stop him. “We don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?” He seemed completely at ease.
“The wedding night…” My voice pinched in my throat.
A smile crossed Keanu’s face, as if he found this whole thing amusing again. “Ah. I see. You thought I was…” His voice trailed off, and he looked me up and down.
At that, I placed my hand on his chest, as if to push him away, but he caught it.
“Don’t worry, my bride. I wasn’t planning on a romantic wedding night.
Quite the opposite.” His gaze went to the bed, where he pointed to a table off to the side of it.
On the table sat a tray of… tea? Steam rose from the teapot, and I now noticed the distinct smell of ginger.
“You and I will have tea tonight, discuss our plan of action, and then rest.” At that, he turned me around again, unlacing the corset. His fingers felt warm anytime they brushed against my back. “And time is slipping away from us.”
At least he acknowledged the fact of our ticking countdown.
The pitter-patter of rain sounded outside, and I noticed a set of open glass doors that led to a spacious balcony. But I didn’t have time to enjoy the refreshing sound or smell of the rain.
"You mean my time is almost up," I muttered, but sighed when the corset loosened.
He removed the lei po‘o and any pins from my hair that had kept it in place, and then ran his fingers through it.
I watched him in the mirror, my stomach filling with butterflies at the way he seemed to enjoy my long hair.
“Here.” Keanu handed me a nightgown, then motioned to a pair of accordion walls that I could change behind.
A mixture of relief and anxiety filled me. “Thank you.”
He grinned as he removed his suit coat and began to undress. I ran behind the walls in haste, not wanting to watch him do… whatever it was he was doing. I didn’t care that we were married. None of this felt real, and I wasn’t sure why he was so comfortable with me. He didn’t even know me. Unless…
That’s how he is. I’d never been around a man so confident in his own skin, and the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable it made me.
Perhaps it was because I was not completely comfortable in my skin.
Beyond my lack of physical beauty, I felt I had no personality.
I wasn’t cute and somewhat clumsy like Kiki. I was not even gentle like my mother.
Before I spiraled down into thoughts of self-deprecation, Keanu spoke from the other side of the wall.
“Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. Now please hurry, we have much to discuss.” I shut my eyes for a moment.
“Why are you speaking to me like that?” I reappeared, dressed in the nightgown, only to find him dressed down to his shirt and breeches, his shirt gaping wide open to reveal his tanned, chiseled muscles, tattoos, and scars like small white ribbons across his chest.
I had to blink again, feeling like I might puke at any moment. Anxiety reached all the way up my throat, telling me I was a fool for making this bargain. He was too flawless to be married to me.
No, I told myself. I was going to survive this, and then I’d figure out what to make of this man, my husband. Besides, I did it for my family. All that mattered was their well-being.
“Because you’re my wife.” He grinned, took my hand, and led me to the bed. “Here.” He sat down on it cross-legged, facing me, then set the tray on the bed between us. The chief moved so quickly, it was making me nauseous trying to keep up.
The warm, spicy smell of ginger wafted into the air as Keanu poured it into the teacups. Thunder rolled softly in the distance outside as lightning flashed and the rain poured harder. It was a pleasant background noise… Well, it would’ve been if I weren’t so stressed.
“You don’t have to pretend to like me,” I said. “I have little time.”
“I’m not pretending.” He winked. “And don’t fear, my bride. You will have plenty of time, as you’re going to break the curse. I know it.”
“You shouldn’t be so confident.”
He ignored me. “When you break the curse–”
“If I break the curse,” I corrected, and his eyes darkened, but only for a moment.
“You don’t believe you can do it?”
“Not when we’re wasting time on these festivities and talking.” My eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t even know where to start. I’ve asked every kupuna I know about the night marchers. Nobody knows how to break the curse.”
“Drink, please.” Keanu took a sip of his tea, watching me;
I hesitated, though I didn’t know why. The ginger tea smelled so warm and inviting, a bundle of tropical coziness all in a cup.
I couldn’t resist any longer and took a drink.
Almost immediately, my nerves began to calm, and a soothing sensation rose inside my chest. The corner of Keanu’s lip turned up and for the briefest moment, I wondered if the tea had been poisoned.
But what would he benefit from killing me?
Besides, I laughed at myself. He drank the tea himself… What was I thinking? It had truly been a long day!
“Last night I dreamed, and I heard Kāne’s voice speaking to me again,” Keanu said.
I put down my teacup to listen, feeling myself sink into the warmth and mystery of Keanu’s bright eyes.
He leaned in, so close I could smell his fresh sandalwood scent.
It was strange that Kāne, the god of light and life, would speak to Keanu and give him this riddle.
But how could I doubt Keanu? The other riddles he recited the night we met were real, so why wouldn’t this one be real?
“E ho‘opa‘i nā pahu,
Pā‘ani i ka hihiu loa.
E lilo i ho‘okahi me ka aka,
E ho‘ā i ke ahi mau loa.”
Keanu’s voice was smooth, yet deep, like listening to the rolling of waves on a calm night. I closed my eyes for a moment, evaluating each word in my mind.
Hear the drums echo,
Play the deadliest game.
Become one with the shadow,
Light the eternal flame.
When I opened my eyes, the chief continued to observe me. I took a sip of my tea, trying not to let him see the numbing effect he had on me.
“What do you think, sunrise of my heart?”
I shook my head, distracting myself from his romantic nicknames for me.
And when I separated my emotions from my logic, I found myself feeling rather…
odd. Keanu seemed eager, much too eager for me to solve the mystery of how to break his curse.
What if he wanted me to tell him the answer and then disposed of me right away?
I mean… the answer eluded me. I understood the first part about the drums, but who knew what deadly game we had to play, or what it meant to “become one with the shadow?” And as for the eternal flame, well, that could represent anything.
My thoughts swarmed with ideas, but I hesitated to tell Keanu any of this. My acquaintance with him was limited, and though he treated me like a princess, smiled at me, and had already given affectionate names to me, I wasn’t a fool.
If I broke his curse, was he really committed to staying married to me? Why would he, when, as Alohi stated, there were throngs of women vying for his attention? And surely he would want to marry someone much more striking than me, as well as a woman of noble birth.
Feigning a smile, I said, “I’m not sure, husband. I’ll have to think about it.”
His jaw clenched a little, and I wondered if he detected my lie, but I took another sip and looked away, knowing that if I kept eye contact, he would know. I was a terrible liar.
“Very well. You are brighter than any woman I’ve met, so I’m sure you’ll crack the riddle in no time.” Why was he so confident about that? And what an inflated compliment! Was he really trying to woo me with flattery?
I’m not that shallow. He put his empty teacup on the tray, waited for me to place my empty teacup down, then took it to the table.
“We must rest,” he said as he pulled the covers off the bed. The bed was so soft and luxurious, something I was not used to. “Tomorrow my cousin, Malakai, will give you a tour of the palace and the gardens. Then he’ll escort you to Wahiawa.”
“Where will you be?” I asked.
“Attending to politics, preparing my men for battle–”
“Battle?”
Keanu cast an impatient look my way. “All of this is a discussion for another night. You must rest.”
“Why Malakai?”
“Because I trust him like a brother. We grew up together, climbing coconut trees and swimming to the distant islands together.”
It was strange to imagine an even younger Keanu, casting the realization that he had an existence before meeting me. A life, a childhood, and a past behind him too.
“What’s at Wahiawa?” I asked, tiredness weighing on my eyes. I’d never heard of the place.
“A ball. All the chiefs from the island accepted the invitation, and it’s most important we go to this one. He moved to my side of the bed and pulled the covers back.
“I’ll tell you more tomorrow night.”
My fatigue wore on me like a storm cloud pressing low on the horizon and, for once, I was grateful he didn’t overwhelm me with everything tonight.
I pulled the covers up to my chin, my head still in a daze over the reality of this situation.
I’m married. I have twenty-three days left to figure out this riddle and break the curse, or I’m dead…
An owl hooted, and I sat up to see the little brown bird on the windowsill above the study. “Is that thing following us?” I asked.
“It’s my pueo,” Keanu said and went to the window to stroke its feathers. “His name is Malu. My parents gave him to me as a gift before they passed away.”
“Malu…” My words grew slurred. “That means peace.”
“Ae.” Keanu’s eyes shone as he looked at me from across the room. “My parents wished for me to have peace when they died.”
“Why?”
“That is a story for another day.” He opened the glass door to the balcony, and the owl flew out. I wasn’t even sure how the owl got inside.
“Rest, bride of mine,” Keanu said as he slumped onto the bed next to me. He didn’t bother to get into the covers, but he propped up on his elbow to tuck a piece of hair away from my face.
I looked at him, curious and still not trusting his kindness. In the dim light, his eyes seemed almost… sad. But why?
“Good night,” I whispered, and turned to my side so my back faced him.
“Good night, haven of my shore,” he replied, then blew out the light, leaving us in darkness.
Within minutes, his steady breaths joined the symphony of the breeze wafting through the room.
I did my best to stay awake, but my eyelids grew heavier with each passing minute.
Though I had my doubts about Keanu and especially whether I was safe around him, tiredness took over.
I fell asleep, and I was so deep into it, I thought it was a dream when Keanu’s fingers somehow found mine, and he held my hand for the rest of the night.